


Death is Only the Beginning

by maryperk



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: BtVS Season 7, F/M, Major character death - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 06:59:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1735391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryperk/pseuds/maryperk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During Empty Places, Spike and Andrew make a terrible discovery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Spike stopped the bike suddenly, and he sniffed the air. A growl emanated from deep within his chest.

Behind him, Andrew quivered at the terrifying sound. “W-what?” he asked.

“I can smell Buffy’s blood,” Spike snarled. With a supernatural ease, he swung the bike around, and he took off towards the source of the scent. It only took Spike and Andrew a few minutes to find Buffy.

The Slayer lay on the sidewalk in a puddle of blood. She had a gash across the side of her neck exposing her jugular to the air. Another wound across her stomach went deep enough that Spike and Andrew could see Buffy’s innards. Two more across her legs cut down to the bone. 

The Slayer was dying.

Again.

Spike was off the bike and to Buffy’s side in a heartbeat while Andrew went to throw up in a nearby garbage can. Sure, he’d seen Warren kill Katrina. He himself had killed Jonathon, but neither death had been as bloody as the Slayer’s. Andrew could hear the vampire’s sobs over his retching, and he knew things were bad.

Buffy opened her eyes, and she gave Spike a weak smile. “Spike,” she whispered through pale lips. “Somehow I knew you’d be here to see me off one last time.” She raised a pale, blood covered hand to Spike’s face.

Spike glanced around. “Why the soddin’ hell are you out here alone?”

“They kicked me out,” Buffy whispered. “All of them decided they’d do better with Faith as their leader. Probably the only unanimous Scooby vote ever.”

Spike growled. He pulled Buffy into his arms as carefully as he could. He could hear her heart faltering. If she didn’t get some blood soon, she’d die. She might anyway from the size of the pool of blood on the ground. “We’ll get you to a hospital. Fix you right up, good as new.”

“Ubers got me,” Buffy continued. She cringed in pain when Spike carefully rose to his feet. She looked up into his beloved face. “Promise me that you won’t let them bring me back again, no matter how much you hate my dying.”

“You’re not going anywhere for them to bring you back from,” Spike snarled. He turned to walk towards the hospital.

“Promise me, Spike.” Buffy moaned as a misstep jostled her.

Spike’s jaw tightened. He hated having to make that kind of promise, because it went without saying that he’d never put her through the torture of being ripped out of Heaven again. He had no plans on losing Buffy again though. 

Tears filled Buffy’s eyes. Even in her pain and wooziness she could see the determination and love on Spike’s face. “I love you, Spike.”

Spike looked down into Buffy’s face, and he whispered, “No, you don’t, but thanks for saying it.”

Buffy weakly smacked at Spike. “Promise?”

“Yeah, Slayer, I promise, but you’re not going anywhere except to the hospital.”

“Thank you.” Now that Buffy was content that she had her promise from the only true friend she had in the world, she allowed herself to fall away into the darkness that pulled at her. The last thing she heard before she died was Spike’s howl of pain. 

Andrew cringed when Spike let out a wail of pain and anger. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was pretty certain Buffy had just died. There was no other explanation for why Spike had fallen to the ground and was now howling while rocking Buffy back and forth in his arms.

Spike felt his heart and his soul shatter under the pain. Nothing mattered in the world anymore. Buffy was gone again. His Slayer was dead for a third time. The noise of his sorrow echoed through the almost empty town, scaring those few residents who had decided to wait it out. 

Andrew stood off to the side, not wanting to incur Spike’s wrath. This was just so wrong. Buffy was the Slayer. She had survived the Mayor and Warren. She wasn’t supposed to die like this. She was meant to go down in a blaze of glory with her _’vampyre’_ lover next to her. He took another step back when the vampire struggled to his feet again.

“Go tell those fuckin’, buggerin’ arseholes that I hope they are bloody happy!” Spike hurled the insults out like they tasted disgusting on his tongue. He set off towards Restfield cemetery. He would let the boy think he was going to his crypt while he snuck away to someplace where the Scoobies couldn’t disturb him while he prepared the Slayer. There was only one way he knew to insure that she wouldn’t be resurrected again.

“Yeah, sure.” Andrew nodded. He turned, and he ran towards Revello Drive as fast as he could. He didn’t want to be caught by the Ubervamps too. He wanted to be in and out of the Summers’ house as soon as possible. He feared for his life if he stayed with them. They were worse than Warren. He shuddered at the thought. 

Right then, Andrew Wells grew up.

Spike looked down into Buffy’s pale, peaceful face. He started to hum while he walked. Soon, he was singing softly under his breath. “I died, so many years ago, but you can make me feel like it isn’t so….”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Andrew burst into the Revello Drive house. He gasped for air as he fell back against the door he had just slammed shut. After a few seconds, he caught his breath, and he bound up the stairs to where he was being allowed to keep his things. Andrew grabbed a spare duffel bag, and he shoved his clothes inside.

“What’s up, kiddo?” Faith said. “Where’s bleach boy?”

Andrew looked up at the Slayer. “He’s not here.”

“I get that.” Faith arched an eyebrow. “So, what’s the what? You guys find out anything at the monk place?”

Andrew shrugged and went back to packing. He wasn’t about to tell them a damn thing before he was ready to leave. It was their fault Buffy was dead.

“I’ve never seen him so quiet,” Dawn said on the way by them to downstairs. “What did you do, Faith?”

Faith shook her head. She watched with apprehension as the nerd continued to grab and pull at his things. There was something definitely wrong here. When Andrew was done, she followed him downstairs to the living room. She was startled when he turned to her.

“Congratulations, Faith. You’re the Slayer.”

Xander chuckled. “We already knew that.”

Andrew turned to the one-eyed Scooby. “No, she’s THE Slayer. The only one now. Congratulations to you all. You’re now no better than me.”

“I think you need to explain that statement,” Giles announced.

Andrew just shook his head. “I don’t have to do anything for you lot.” He had learned a lot about Buffy’s life through eavesdropping and being Jonathan’s friend. “Long live the Slayer. She survived the Master, the Mayor, and Warren, but in the end it was her friends that did her in. I doubt she can do another Gandalf though.”

“Are you saying Buffy is dead?” Willow asked slowly.

Andrew tapped his nose. “Ding, ding, the witch is right.” He pointed at Willow. “And gee whiz, if you all can do that to someone that helps and protects you? What chance does a vampire or an ex-evil mastermind have?”

“Buffy’s dead?” Xander asked, stunned.

“Yup.” Andrew turned to go, but then he stopped to face the crowd of shocked people. “Spike says he hopes -- and let’s see if I can get this right – that those fuckin’, buggerin’ arseholes are happy. Are you? You look like it. That was sarcasm, in case you didn’t know. I am capable, really.”

Dawn sat down heavily on a chair. “What did we do?”

“Sent your sister out to die. Personally, I’ll take my chances with the First, his Bringers, Caleb, and the Ubers. At least I KNOW they’re backstabbing killers.” Andrew turned around, and he banged his way out of the house making sure to slam the door hard when he went. He had no idea where Spike was. Despite the vampire’s act of going towards Restfield, Andrew knew he wasn’t that stupid. That would be the first place the Scoobies would try to look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“You’re a hard vampire to find,” Andrew blurted out when Spike opened the hotel room door.

Spike growled. “You weren’t supposed to be able to find me.”

“Sure wasn’t going to stay with that bunch of Warren wannabes.” Andrew pushed by Spike. “I stopped off at that boutique downtown. I figured you’d want something nice to dress her in.” He showed a shopping bag full of clothes to the vampire.

Spike looked out the door to check if anyone was following Andrew. He extended his senses to discover nothing and nobody were out in the darkness. He closed the door, and he locked it. “Well, let’s see what you have, kid.”

Andrew handed the shopping bag to Spike. “I’ll just go in the bathroom while you dress her.”

Spike waved his hand. Looking at the clothes, he had to admit Andrew had good taste in women’s clothes. Spike suspected the boy was a bit of a crossdresser. He quickly chose a white sleeveless summer dress with a scooped neckline that would have fallen just below Buffy’s knees. Spike quickly dressed the Slayer in the dress, and he laid her back down on the bed.

Before Andrew had shown up, Spike had washed Buffy in the shower. He removed all the blood from her body and washed her hair with a small bottle of shampoo. All he needed to do was brush her hair for her to be ready.

“You can come out now, kid.” Spike knocked on the bathroom door. “I need to go start on the pyre. You keep an eye on the Slayer.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Andrew said coming out of the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The Next Night…

A tingle of family and a loud knock announced a visitor that Spike wasn’t ready to deal with.

“I know you’re in there, Spike.” Angel’s voice announced through the door. He had tracked his grandchilde to the hotel through scent alone. Not only was Spike’s scent here, but Buffy’s was too. “Let me in. I found Buffy’s blood. Where is she?”

Spike waved Andrew away from the door. “I’ll get it.” He opened the door, and in a dead voice, he said, “You can stake me later, poofter. First, I need to make sure that those idiots can’t bring her back again.”

“Step aside,” Angel barked. He pushed past Spike, and he went to Buffy’s side. He noticed that the body was clean, the dress was new, and her hair was combed. She even had a thin layer of makeup on her face. Someone, probably Spike, had taken great care to make her presentable. Angel grimaced at the gaping neck wound that was clean, but clearly visible. “What happened?”

“The Watcher sent me and the kid here out of town, and while we were gone they kicked Buffy to the curb.” Spike’s voice held no inflections, and the chuckle he gave had no mirth. “Sunnyhell is riddled with Ubervamps, Bringers, an insane woman-hatin’ preacher man, and the First Evil. Those – I don’t even have a word bad enough for them, wankers is too good for them – sent her out alone.”

“We found her when we got back to town in a puddle of blood,” Andrew said. He glanced at Spike. He knew the bleached blond vampire was only holding on by a thread. “She got Spike to promise not to let the Scoobies resurrect her again.”

Angel touched Buffy’s hair. “A pyre?” Resurrections were harder with no body, but he knew from experience that they were possible.

Spike nodded, but it was Andrew who voiced the words. “Yeah, Spike made one last night.”

“Words will have to be said.” Angel finally looked at Spike. “They brought Darla back, and we know how dead she was. I’ll take care of that.”

“See that you do.” Spike nodded. “I doubt she can survive bein’ pulled from Heaven again. Hell, I doubt I can survive her bein’ pulled from Heaven again. Damn near broke us both last time.”

Angel narrowed his eyes. “Where the hell did you get it, William?”

Anger flared in Spike’s eyes, but it quickly died. Instead of answering he shrugged. “How are we gonna fight the First without Buffy? We discovered that the preacher is protectin’ something. Probably something only a Slayer can use, and we’re in short supply of those now.”

“Faith?”

“She was in on the mutiny, I’m sure,” Spike replied. He slumped in one of the hotel chairs.

Angel tilted his head. Oh boy! He knew that look all too well on Spike. “You love her! You went and fell in love with her.”

“Faith?”

“No, you idiot,” Angel snarled. “Buffy. You love Buffy.”

Spike closed his eyes. “More than life itself. Got a bloody soul to be what she deserved.” 

Angel plunged his hand into his pocket to grip the necklace he was going to give Buffy to fight with. The one he had planned on wearing to help her. The one he now wondered if he was the best candidate to wear.

“So, it’s two souled vamps and an ex-evil mastermind against a horde of Ubervamps, huh?” Andrew muttered. “We’re gonna die.”

“Probably would have anyway,” Spike said with shrug. “Maybe I won’t have to worry about greetin’ the sun in the morning.” He grabbed his jacket. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Angel nodded. He watched with trepidation while Spike crossed the room to pick up Buffy’s body. He had a feeling that this time the younger vampire had no desire to make it out of the battle alive. It was as if all the fight had left Spike.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Spike laid Buffy’s body on top the pile of logs and debris he’d gathered for her funeral pyre. He stepped back slowly. When Andrew handed him a torch, he lit it with his Zippo. Then, he lit the wood, and he stepped back in line with his grandsire and the boy.

“I didn’t know Buffy very well. Well, except in an arch nemesis kind of way, but she seemed pretty nice,” Andrew said softly. “She let me stay in her house even after everything I’d done.”

“She was one of a kind,” Angel replied. 

“Able to make a monster feel like a man.”

The three men nodded while they watched the fire start to burn bigger and brighter. Their eyes were so fixed on the flames that they didn’t notice a ghostly figure watching their every move. None of them moved for the entire time it took for the burning to die down to nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes.

Nothing and no one interrupted them either. It was as if all of Sunnydale was in mourning.

Angel pulled out a cell phone. He flipped it open and hit a button. “Hey Wesley, can you magically find me.” He paused. “Good. I need the general area cleansed. My companions and I just cremated a supernatural being that needs to be protected from resurrection.”

Spike gaped at Angel. He never expected his grandsire to honor Buffy’s wishes. Angel had always done what he wanted, not what the Slayer wanted.

“Thanks, Wes.” Angel paused. He glanced at Spike and Andrew. “No, the Sunnydale problem is a bit more complicated than I expected. It’ll take me a few days. Yes, I’ll keep you informed.” He hung up the phone.

Almost instantly a swirl of magic swept through the air around the two vampires and the young human. The ashes of the pyre whirled up into the air, and they disappeared in a flash of light.

Spike let out a defeated sigh. “Now what?”

“Sun’s coming up. We can’t make it back to the hotel in time,” Angel said.

“There’s a house over there.” Andrew pointed to the edge of the park where they had performed the burning. “Nobody’s in town but us and … them.”

“Sounds good.” Angel grabbed Spike’s lapel, and he dragged the younger vamp towards the house. “You can greet the sun after we defeat the First.”

“Need a Slayer for that,” Spike grumbled.

Angel shook Spike. “No more of this defeatist attitude, William. First, we will rest. Then, we we’ll figure out what to do next.”

“Whatever.”

Andrew knocked on the door, but thankfully there was no answer. Angel kicked the door down with one foot, and he dragged Spike inside. He pulled the younger vamp upstairs to a bedroom where he threw Spike onto a bed. “You do anything stupid, and I’ll bring you back to beat you to a pulp.”

Spike rolled over, pulled his coat around himself, and muttered, “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Angel let out an aggravated huff. Family could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. He wandered off to find his own place to sleep. He thought about joining Spike on the bed, but he doubted that his grandchilde would appreciate it.

Spike stared at the wall, rethinking the past two days. Buffy had admitted that she loved him, but he had denied it. Even now he couldn’t contradict that his unbeating heart had lurched in his chest when he heard the words. “Buffy, I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too, you idiot,” Buffy’s voice murmured in return.

Spike snorted. “I’m already goin’ balmy, and she’s only been gone a few hours.”

“Not going balmy, Spike.” Buffy’s voice was a bit louder now. “I’m right here.”

Spike rolled over, and then he scrambled across the bed when he saw a ghostly figure standing by the bed. 

Buffy stepped closer. “Thank you for protecting my soul, William. You keep your promises.” She cupped his face where she’d touched him right before she died. “I was so hurt and so stupid not to let you in before. I really do love you.”

“Buffy.” Tears filled Spike’s eyes. He brought his hand up to touch Buffy’s hand on his cheek. “Why now?”

“One more promise.”

Spike nodded. “Anything.”

“Finish what we started. Kill the First Evil.” Buffy smiled. “I’m counting on you.”

“Till the end of the world,” Spike snorted softly. “Even if it’s tonight, which it probably will be.”

“It’s all I can hope for.” Buffy’s had pulsated and glowed. “Here is some of my strength to get you through the battle. Sleep now, William. You need your rest.”

Spike felt his eyes fall shut, and the last thing he saw was Buffy’s sweet smile.

Angel tossed and turned for awhile before he settled down. His mind wandered back to the first time he had met Buffy face to face. He knew he loved the memory of Buffy more than he had loved the woman. It was something he had realized the last time they had met up right after her resurrection.

“I loved you so back then,” Buffy said. “I thought you were my everything. Then, Spike showed me different.”

“He really loves you, Buffy,” Angel said drowsily. He was already on the verge of sleep, and he thought for sure he was dreaming.

“Yeah, he does.”

“He’ll be joining you as soon as he can, you know.”

“I know. Ask him about the information from the monastery, and give him the amulet. He’s my champion. It’s only right he gets to wear it.”

“Okay.” Angel nodded. “I love you, Buffy.”

Buffy chuckled. She cupped Angel’s cheek, and her hand pulsated. “I love you too, Angel.” She gave her first love some of her power before she moved on to the third occupant of the vacant house.

“Hello Andrew,” Buffy said to the restless young man on the couch.

“Ack!” Andrew cried out loudly. 

“Thanks for staying with Spike after you found me.” Buffy knelt by the couch. “That tough man act of his is a cover for a soft heart. It always has been.”

“Oh boy, this is so awesome. Like Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze.”

Buffy laughed. “Not quite.” She touched Andrew’s hand with her own. “The next few days are gonna be tough, but I have faith that you can defeat the First.”

“Me?”

“Well, you and my vamps. The information from the monastery is very important. Remember that.”

“I will, I promise.”

“It’s all I ask,” Buffy replied. Her hand pulsated and glowed. “You are something special, Andrew. Loyalty is hard found these days.”

“Thanks, Buffy,” Andrew murmured as Buffy faded out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Buffy visited me last night,” Andrew announced. He was going through the cupboards of the house looking for something to eat. 

Angel had just returned from a run to the butcher shop where he’d found blood in the freezer. He put the blood on the counter, and he gave Andrew an odd look. The young man’s words jogged his memory. “I might have been too.” He grabbed a couple of mugs to fill with blood.

“She visited us all,” Spike said as he stumbled into the room. He sank heavily into a kitchen chair. “Caleb came to the monastery and took something from a hidden room.”

“Tell him what the inscription said,” Andrew prompted. He pulled a box of corn flakes off the shelf. He peeked inside. “Hmm, stale. Just the way I like them.”

“Inscription?” Angel handed Spike one of the mugs of pig’s blood.

“Yeah. ‘It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield’. I’m thinking a Slayer weapon. Not many she’s around, and wield has a definite weapon-y sound about it.” Spike took a sip.

Angel chuckled. “Buffy’s valley girl speech rubbed off on you, Spike.”

“Yeah, she said bloody a time or two herself,” Spike replied. “I think we need to check up on preacher boy. Maybe give him a taste of real evil. He’s got half the Scourge of Europe after him now.”

“What should I do while you guys are off doing that?” Andrew asked.

“Who said you weren’t comin’ with us?” Spike questioned after drowning the disgusting blood in one long gulp. “We’ve got your back, and you’ve got ours. I don’t want any of those ubers comin’ after you. You can wait outside and scream if you hear or see anything. We’ll come running, right, Angelus?”

Angel looked at the young man that he was only beginning to get to know. Something seemed off about Andrew, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. So, he shrugged his shoulders. “Fine by me. The more the merrier.”

“Oh we happy few … we happy buggered few,” Spike laughed, his tone a tad bitter. He remembered saying those words another time right before Buffy’s second death two years before

Angel arched an eyebrow. “I have no plans on buggering anyone, William. Especially you.”

Spike snorted. “Wouldn’t be the first time, Angelus.”

Andrew’s eyes widened at the banter, but he thought it might be best to get back on topic … scouting out just what Caleb was hiding and where. “I think we should check out the winery again.”

Spike gave Andrew a considering look. “It’s worth a look. We’ll all try to keep our eyeballs where they belong though, won’t we?”

Andrew gave a shaky nod.

“Is there a story behind that?” Angel looked at Spike.

“Caleb came to town and hurt a girl on his way in to taunt Buffy. Told us he had something of Buffy’s.” Spike had a faraway look on his face. “We went in, but the Bringers are strong. They’re just little girls, Angelus. The kind you liked to play with in the day. Don’t have the strength like Buffy does.”

Andrew nodded. “We lost a few girls, and Xander lost an eye.”

“Yeah, probably why they got that bee in their bonnet and threw Buffy out,” Spike replied. “Bloody Scoobies never did know she was the best damned thing that happened to them.”

Angel nodded. “When Buffy first came to town, Darla turned a friend of Willow and Xander’s. They would have been long dead by now without Buffy.”

The thought of the so-called friends that had kicked the Slayer to the curb that resulted in her third death made Spike growl. “Arseholes.”

“Well, on that note, let’s go find that winery,” Angel said. “We’ll take my car.”

“Shotgun,” Andrew cried.

Angel and Spike eyed each other, but then they shrugged. Sure, Andrew was an annoying twerp, but he was their annoying twerp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Have I told you how much I love your car?” Andrew gushed.

Angel rolled his eyes. “Only a hundred times.” He pulled up under a dark shadow a few hundred yards from the winery, and he killed the motor and lights. He got out, opened the trunk, and handed both Spike and Andrew a weapon before taking one for himself.

The three males snuck up to the winery. Tonight, unlike the other night with Buffy and the Potentials, there were no Bringers in sight. Spike and Angel eased in the front door first before waving for Andrew to join them.

The winery appeared to be deserted except for one Bringer guarding a set of stairs going down into the depths of the winery. Spike and Angel quickly dispatched the blind, mute creature.

“On the count of three?” Angel whispered.

Spike gave a thumbs up sign.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

Spike and Angel walked down the stairs to where they found Caleb talking to the First in the form of Buffy. The two vampires ignored the incorporeal creature for the flesh and blood one.

“Back for a second round?” Caleb said.

“Angelus, long time, no see,” the First cooed. It morphed into one of Angelus’ victims. 

Caleb turned to the First. “You know this monster?”

Spike sneered at Caleb. “I hear tell you have something that belongs to our Slayer.”

“Yes, where is the prodigal Slayer?” Caleb peered over Spike’s shoulder. “Is she hiding in the shadows while she sends dirty sinners to fight her battles?”

“That’s for us to know and you to find out,” Spike replied. “Hey, Angelus, you remember that wizard we met back in 1889?”

“How could I forget?” Angel grumbled. “You pissed the fucker off by eyeing his daughter.”

Spike got a horrified look on his face. “It wasn’t like I was plannin’ on shaggin’ her. Or eatin’ her for that manner. I was comin’ up with a way to escape with my virtue intact. She smelled nasty. Tuppin’ a sheep would have been a more pleasant experience.”

“Enough, filthy, dirty sinners,” Caleb shouted. He rushed at the vampires in anger.

“You mean supping on a sheep would be a more pleasant experience.” Angel stepped to the side to let Caleb rush past him. 

The evil preacher slammed into the wall, and then he staggered around in a daze. Despite having the First’s power, he was still vulnerable to physical attacks.

“Probably, except for the wool breath,” Spike replied.

Upstairs, Andrew waited for Spike and Angel, his senses on alert. He barely muffled a scream when Buffy appeared next to him. She grabbed his arm, and she peered down the stairs. “It’s time. They’ve distracted Caleb. Go get the weapon.”

“Me?” Andrew put his hand to his chest.

“Yeah, you. There’s no one else,” Buffy replied.

“Faith?” Andrew said desperately.

“There was an ambush. Faith’s down for the count.” Buffy shook her head. “It has to be you. Part of me lives in you now. I think I might have made you into the first male Slayer, Andrew.”

“Oh boy…” 

“Oops,” Buffy giggled.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Giles looked down at the unconscious Slayer. He had no idea what to do next. Half the S.I.T.’s were in bad shape, including Willow’s new lover Kennedy. The potentials that weren’t seriously hurt had very poor morale. The only ones in the house unharmed were the ones that had stayed behind.

“We’re going to lose, aren’t we?” Willow inquired in a soft voice. Her eyes were fixed on her injured girlfriend. “I should have never listened to Kennedy,” she said almost to herself.

“What’s done is done,” Giles said. “We must think of ourselves now.”

“I think we’ve done enough of that,” Willow replied. “I’m pretty sure it’s all we’ve ever done. All of us.”

“I was able to call on my hoodlum years and hotwired one of the school buses.” Robin Wood stepped into the room. “I suggest we get the injured out of Sunnydale at first light.”

Giles nodded his head. “Yes, I suspect we should.” He turned around to trudge down the stairs.

“Do you think Spike will come back?” Dawn asked in a small voice from Buffy’s bedroom door. She had Mr. Gordo clutched in her arms. “We need someone strong to help us.”

Giles stopped in his tracks. “I’m afraid that with Buffy’s death any loyalty that Spike might have had for us has disappeared. He’s probably long gone by now. Buffy’s the only reason he stuck around in the first place. It’s different than last time. This time he completely blames us. We’d all be lucky if he doesn’t come back to drain us dry.”

“Where are you planning on us taking the girls?” Robin asked. He followed Giles into the hall.

Giles shook his head. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Oops,” Buffy giggled.

“But I’m not good enough to be a Slayer,” Andrew complained.

Buffy tightened her grip on the young man’s arm. “None of us are, Andrew. Despite our calling we’re still human. We’ll always be tempted by darkness. You’ve already overcome a darkness that few live through.”

Andrew nodded, and he mustered his courage. “Tell me what to do, oh fearless leader.”

“You have to pull the weapon from the stone, and kill Caleb with it.” Buffy gave Andrew a wide-eyed innocent look.

“Me?” Andrew squeaked. “But I don’t even know how to fight.”

“Just go with the flow, and do what feels natural. Now get down there and get that weapon.”

Andrew gave Buffy a wary look before he started to creep down the stairs. He crouched down to scan the area for the weapon that the ghostly Slayer wanted him to get. His eyes lit up when he realized it was across the room behind Caleb stuck in a rock. Andrew continued to creep towards the bright shiny axe-like weapon.

“But the wizard’s spawn wasn’t the reason I mentioned him, Angelus.” Spike gave Caleb a feral grin. “It was how we dispatched the wanker that I wanted to talk about.” 

“You mean with ….” Angel waved his hand in the air. “… and the?”

Spike tilted his head in acknowledgement. “You betcha, Peaches.”

Angel’s own smile turned feral. “On the count of three?” He turned his attention on Caleb. “Too bad Darla and Dru aren’t here. Now, _they_ are wicked, dirty girls.” 

“Three,” Spike shouted as he launched himself at Caleb. He knew from experience that the human had supernatural strength, but that was something that would work against Caleb in the long run.

“Always impatient, William,” Angel shouted. He managed to grab Caleb’s head in his hands. Then, he reversed course with his body taking the evil minister’s upper body with him.

Spike grabbed Caleb’s mid-section, and he continued to travel in a forward motion. 

“Oh no, you don’t.” Caleb shook himself like a dog, sending the vampires flying. “You think you have power over me? Stupid fools. You’ll never stop me. You don’t have the balls.”

Andrew licked his lips as his hand clutched at the Slayer weapon. He hoped that what Buffy said was true. His fingers curled around the cool metal, slowly and carefully. The weapon felt alive and vibrant to his touch. 

Caleb whirled around. “That isn’t for you, boy.” He took a step towards Andrew, but a surprise attack by Angel from the side stopped his progress. The evil preacher watched in horror while the young human boy easily removed the Slayer weapon from the stone. “What the hell?” Caleb’s Southern accent became more pronounced.

“How can it be?” A woman’s voice filled the basement. “You are not the one.”

“Yeah, well, about that.” Spike rose to his feet, and he shook himself off. He glanced at the old woman with flowing white hair. His gaze passed over the brown gown and robe she wore without really taking her in. “Apparently, we’re the Chosen One’s chosen ones, so to speak.”

“Two vampires and a boy?” the woman scoffed. This was unheard of in all the history of the Witnesses. Never before had a Slayer chosen her own successors. 

“Better than the Watcher and those so-called friends of hers,” Angel grumbled. He could barely contain his anger at the Scoobies. It wasn’t that Buffy had died that made his so mad. It was the way it had happened by being thrown out of her own home by her sister and friends.

The woman’s eyes swept over the three men. “I suppose that’s true. The Shadow men became the Watchers. This weapon will help you against the rising darkness. Use it wisely. The end is near.”

“I’ll show you wisely,” Caleb bellowed. “Your end is here.” Before he could move, Andrew swung the scythe in a circle above his head, and Caleb’s head flew across the room. His body fell to the ground, blood spraying everywhere.

“That went well.” Angel leaped out of the way of the spray. “Now what?”

Spike kicked Caleb’s body away. “We’ve got a horde of Ubervamps amassin’ in the Hellmouth.”

“I have a pretty weapon!” Andrew held up the scythe.

The woman looked at Angel. “I believe you have something in your pocket, vampire.”

“Name’s Angel. I’m Spike. He’s Andrew.” The blond vamp pointed at each of the men as he introduced them and himself.

“You can call me Yasmine.” 

Spike turned to Angel. “Now, Peaches, what kind of prezzie do you have for us in your pocket? Nothing too naughty now, is it?”

Angel rolled his eyes. “No, Willy. Just an amulet.” He pulled the object out of his pocket. “I don’t know everything about it. It’s very powerful and probably very dangerous. It has a purifying power or a cleansing power. The translation is … well, it bestows strength to the right person who wears it.”

“Right person? Who the bloody hell is that?” Spike blurted out.

“Someone ensouled, but stronger than human. A champion.”

Yasmine nodded while she waved at the amulet. “One of you will have to risk yourself by wearing this thing.”

Spike studied the amulet. “I’ll wear it. I have nothing more to lose.” He held his hand out to Angel. “Hand over the Elizabeth Taylor jewel, Liam.”

“I’ve had my soul longer,” Angel almost, but not quite, whined.

“You need to prep your posse as a second front, Angel,” Spike said, using his Grandsire’s name for the first time since Angel’s arrival in Sunnydale. “The three of us against the hordes of Hell? It won’t go well.”

Angel looked like he was about to protest, but finally he let the amulet drop into Spike’s outstretched hand. “You better stick to the plan for a change, William.”

Spike glared at Angel for a moment until a stray memory hit his brain. “We like to talk big.” He curled his tongue behind his teeth. “Vampires do. ‘I’m going to destroy the world’.”

Angel and Andrew looked at each with puzzled looks on their faces, while Yasmine hid a smile behind a hand. She decided she liked this vampire. He was different from the others she had encountered in her lifetime.

“That’s just tough guy talk. Struttin’ around with your friends over a pint of blood.” Spike patted himself down. He knew it was about time to light up a cigarette. “Truth is, I like this world. You’ve got dog racing, Manchester United, and you’ve got people. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. Then, someone comes along with a vision. With a real passion for destruction. Then, good-bye Piccadilly. Farewell, Leicester Bloody Square.”

Clapping sounded through the basement room. “Good work, luv.” Buffy faded into sight. “Now that you’ve given your Rice Crispies speech, can we get the show on the road?”

Angel gave another puzzled look. “Rice Crispies speech?”

“St. Crispin’s Day, pet.” Spike chuckled. “I already gave that one. You missed it.”

Yasmine stared at the ghostly Slayer. “I’d forgotten how young you would be,” she whispered.

“Not anymore,” Buffy replied. “Died three times.”

“You gave away your power,” Yasmine said in an awed voice. “How is that even possible?”

Buffy shrugged. “Just special that way, I guess.” She turned to Spike and Angel. “Go to the high school now. Wait until the sun is high in the sky before you enter the Hellmouth. It’s the only way.”

“What about me, Buffy?” Andrew asked in a quiet voice. Holding the scythe gave him more confidence than he’d ever felt before in his life.

“While my vamp boys are hiding out in the high school, you and I need to go see the Eye thingie. Hopefully now that I’m dead, we can weaken the First’s power,” Buffy replied.

Spike let out a bark of laughter. “That’s Beljoxa’s Eye, Slayer.”

“Whatever.” Buffy waved a hand in the air. She crowded in close to Spike, and she rested her hand on his sleeve. “You be careful, Spike. Let’s go, Andrew.”

Spike gave a small nod. He watched with sadness while Buffy led the male Slayer away. It was so good to gaze on her face, but his heart hurt knowing that they would soon be separated. There was no way he’d end up in the same place she would. He had done too much evil in his lifetime. “Let’s go, Angelus.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“That thing is ugly,” Andrew whispered when he saw the Beljoxa’s Eye.

Buffy nodded her agreement, but she moved forward. “I’m dead again. Does that help any, Bell Joxer?”

The Beljoxa’s Eye opened its many eyes. It had sensed the Slayer’s entry into its dimension. It couldn’t sense future truths only what was now and before. Just as it had told its previous visitors there on behalf of the Slayer. 

“The ones who brought me back from the dead caused me to die. So, it’s all good now, right?” Buffy asked. 

“You gave your power to this boy,” the Eye replied. “There is imbalance.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Mr. All Knowing. The Powers said I could choose my own champions. I chose those loyal to me.”

“Yes, I can see that,” the Eye said. “You have weakened the First Evil a bit, but you know you can’t defeat it. It will always go on.”

“Okay, I get that. What about the Ubervamps? Can they be defeated?”

“You have the tools within your grasp, Slayers. Use them wisely.” The Eye closed its eyes again, bent on ignoring the worthless entities vying for its attention.

“Not very helpful,” Andrew muttered.

“Yeah, wait till your first Slayer dream,” Buffy grumbled. “That cheese man is really weird.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“The wounded are all loaded on the bus,” Xander informed Giles. “Now what? We’ve never really ran from a fight before.”

“Never had to before,” Giles replied. “Guess there’s always a first time for everything.”

“Don’t touch that,” Dawn’s voice shrieked from the dining room. “That’s Buffy’s and you’re not to touch it. She’s the Slayer, not you.”

Kennedy’s sarcastic voice soon followed. “Not anymore she isn’t. She’s dead, and if I want to use this I will. Good riddance to bad rubbish if you ask me. She wasn’t a vampire Slayer. She was a vampire Layer.”

A slap echoed through the mostly empty house. “If you had kept your crap to yourself, she wouldn’t be dead. It was you that convinced everyone she was bad for us. You killed my sister!”

“Are you going to let her talk to me that way, Willow?” Kennedy screamed. “She’s the one that told Buffy to leave, not me.”

“I need to call Wesley,” Willow replied. “I’m pretty sure Angel will put us up at his hotel.” She ignored Kennedy, and she went to the kitchen to use the phone.

Giles and Xander went to the entrance of the room that Kennedy and Dawn were still standing in. The two young women were glaring at each other with anger and hatred.

“We were all a bunch of fools.” Faith hit the last step, leaning on Wood’s arm. “She really was the best one to lead us. She really was better than us.”

“How can you say that?” 

“She died for all of us. Twice.” Faith looked around at the occupants of Buffy’s house. “I never wanted to lead you. That’s not my thing. I like my independence, but Buffy? She cared about all of you. Even you, rich girl.”

“More like she cared about getting me killed,” Kennedy scoffed.

“Yup, and we fell for it, didn’t we?” Faith said softly. “We’re down one leader, fell for a trap, and the bad guy is gonna win. Ain’t a damned thing we can do about it, now is there?”

“You’re our leader,” Wood replied.

Faith let out a bark of laughter that didn’t sound happy at all. “I was never your leader. It’s always been Buffy. I might be a Slayer, but there’s only one Buffy.”

Willow appeared at the kitchen door. “Wanna hear something weird? Wes says Angel’s in Sunnydale.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Home, sweet home,” Spike mumbled when Angel and he snuck into the high school.

“I need to call Wes.” Angel pulled out his phone. “They need to be ready just in case we fail.”

Spike nodded his head. He wandered down the hall to where the guidance counselor’s office was. It was the only place that he could still smell Buffy’s scent. He sat in her chair, leaned back, and swung his feet up on the desk. Spike closed his eyes to reminisce about the old high school that always seemed to reek of Buffy’s scent.

Angel dialed Wesley’s phone number, and he frowned when he was sent to voice mail. “Hey, Wes, it’s Angel. I … uh… well, things are pretty bad here. You might want to prepare to be overrun by Ubervamps. Get everyone you can ready to fight. Talk to you later if I can. Bye.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yasmine wearily approached the last resting place of her fellow Guardians. She knew it was time to ascend and pass on to the better life, but something about the young people she’d just been with gave her pause. Buffy Summers was a Slayer that not only passed on her power to the most unlikely of people, but she was also a Slayer that associated with those that she was supposed to kill.

“What troubles you, child?”

Yasmine looked up to see the ghostly face of the original Mother Guardian peering down at her. Seeing the woman’s young, unlined face made her feel so old and worthless. “The Slayer confuses me,” Yasmine confessed. Her voice was troubled.

The Mother Guardian chuckled. “So, did the one I knew. Of course, she was my best friend. That did make it easier for me.”

“The Slayer died, and she came back to share her power with two vampires and a boy.”

“Vampires?” The Mother Guardian asked in a perplexed voice. “How on earth did that happen?”

Yasmine nodded. “She cares for them deeply.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time that happened,” the Mother Guardian chuckled. “The sharing of power is new though.”

“I didn’t realize,” Yasmine said thoughtfully. She was an old woman. Her life had spanned eight decades. However in all that time of studying the Slayers, she had never come across one with the affinity for vampires that Buffy Summers seemed to have. “I want to help them.”

“What can _we_ do?” The Mother Guardian waved her hand, and a myriad of ghostly women joined her. “We are but spirits.”

“The same could be said of Buffy Summers.” Yasmine gave the Mother Guardian a pointed look.

The women started to whisper among themselves until finally a warrior woman with long, dark braids stepped out of the ghostly crowd. “We’ll help.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Willow appeared at the kitchen door. “Wanna hear something weird? Wes says Angel’s in Sunnydale.”

“Has anyone seen him?” Giles looked around at the Scoobies. Every one of them, including Faith, shook their heads to indicate they had no clue the vampire was in Sunnydale.

“Who is Angel?” Robin asked. He looked around at the Scoobies, who all had facial expressions that ranged from the surprised to the disgusted.

“Angel’s a vampire with a soul,” Faith replied. “He’s one of the good guys.”

Robin sneered. “Like Spike?”

Faith raised a cool, unhappy eyebrow. “Yes, a lot like Spike to be truthful. If he found out about Buffy’s death I’m sure he’s very unhappy with you all right now.”

“At least he’s unhappy. He better be unhappy. I have no desire to run into Angelus again,” Xander grumbled. “He’s Spike’s grandsire if you want to get technical.”

Willow nodded. “He loved Buffy before Spike did.”

Robin shook his head in disgust. “We need to get out of Sunnydale before nightfall. The Bringers are sure to come after us if we don’t.”

“I agree,” Giles replied. “I’m sure that Angel isn’t going to hang around. He didn’t before. Kennedy and Dawn, get in the bus please. Make sure everyone is calm.”

Dawn glared at Kennedy while she spoke to Giles. “Sure thing, Giles.” She grabbed up the weapon that the S.I.T. had tried to claim as her own, and she marched out of the house.

“Let’s go, Xander,” Willow said softly. She went over to her oldest best friend to take his hand. “We better make sure that Anya hasn’t killed Rona. They were fighting over the last of the Captain Crunch this morning.”

Faith gave Robin a smirk. “I need to use the little girl’s room. I’ll catch up with you.” She watched as everyone else in the house trooped out of Buffy’s house for the last time. After the door slammed closed, Faith high tailed it out the backdoor, and she used Slayer speed to dash away from Revello Drive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Angel leaned against the doorjamb watching Spike lean back in a chair with his feet up on the desk. He could see that the younger vamp’s eyes were closed. “What are you thinking about, William?” he asked.

“Close your eyes and inhale.” Spike took a deep breath. “You can still smell her in this room.”

“Of course you can, silly.” Buffy appeared behind Angel with Andrew in tow. “Wood never let me clean out my desk. I’m pretty sure one of my scarves is still in the bottom drawer.”

Spike dropped his feet to the floor, and he started to rifle through the desk. “How did the meeting with the Eye go?” he asked. He pulled the pale yellow scarf out of the drawer, and he slipped it in his pocket.

A moue of disgust crossed Buffy’s ghostly face. “It wasn’t any more helpful now than it was before. Just said we had everything we needed to succeed.”

Spike looked around the room at the occupants. “So, we have two ensouled vamps, one of which is cool and the other a poofter. Then, there is a ghostly Slayer who can kick arse followed by a nerdy male Slayer. What an army.” He gave the others two thumbs up.

“Don’t forget the jewelry and the shiny axe-like thing,” Buffy said.

“And me.” Yasmine stepped into the room. “The guardians wish to help too. They only wait your command.”

The specter of a warrior woman stepped through the wall, and she knelt in front of Buffy. “I am Maeve O’Connacht. I am yours to command, Slayer.”

Buffy raised her eyebrow. “So be it,” she said softly.

Andrew peeked out into the hall. In an awed voice, he said, “She’s just like Aragon and the Army of the Dead.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Shouldn’t Faith be done in the bathroom already?” Willow asked. She peered up the stairs, but she didn’t hear the Slayer moving around on the second floor. “Faith?” she called out.

“Backdoor’s open,” Xander said. “We’re down two Slayers now. This is not good, G-man.”

Giles sighed. “Let’s go. Faith is the Slayer. She’ll be just fine.”

“That’s what we thought about Buffy,” Willow said softly. She shook her head. “I wish…”

“Do not complete that sentence,” Giles said harshly. “It’s time to go, Willow. Get on the bus now. You too, Xander.”

Xander and Willow trudged out to the bus with great reluctance. Their guilt over their part in the death of their friend was clearly etched on their faces. The two Scoobies retired to the back of the bus away from everyone else including Anya and Dawn.

“Faith?” Wood asked when Giles boarded the bus.

“Gone.” Giles waved towards the street. “Please close the door, and let’s get out of this Hellhole.” Then, he plopped wearily down in the seat next to Anya.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“You are one strange bloke, Trey.” Spike clapped Andrew on the back.

“Trey?”

Spike shrugged. “Only survivin’ member of the Trio of nerds.”

Andrew looked embarrassed. “We were stupid to listen to Warren.”

Buffy nodded. “Probably, but we all want the approval of our friends.” 

“Are we going to do this then?” Maeve asked.

“Now is as good a time as any.” Spike grabbed the gaudy necklace that Angel had given him. Putting the jewelry around his neck, he turned to Buffy. “You have any of those manly weapons stashed around here, pet?”

Buffy burst out laughing. “No doilies to mess up this time, Spike, and I promise you won’t be bored.”

“I’ll just go get some weapons from Angel’s car,” Andrew said. “I might need help though.”

“I’ll help you, kiddo.” Faith’s voice echoed off the hallway walls.

“Faith,” Spike said in a cool voice. “What are you doing here?”

“You need the help of a Slayer,” Faith replied.

“We have the help of a Slayer,” Angel replied. He gave no indication that it was Andrew he was speaking about.

Faith shook her head. “A living Slayer.”

“We have the help of a living Slayer,” Angel amended his last statement.

“Later. We’ll talk about it later, after we’ve thwarted yet another apocalypse.” Buffy turned to Andrew. “Please get the weapons, Andrew. We’ll meet you at the basement door.”

“On it.” The young man led the dark-haired Slayer out of the room, carefully avoiding the ghost ladies as they went. He doubted that they would appreciate being walked through.

Spike and Angel, followed by Buffy and Maeve, strolled towards the entrance of the basement. “How are we going open the Hellmouth?” Angel asked.

Spike glanced back at Buffy with a suppressed shudder. “It’s always about the blood, Gramps.” He remembered his own time hanging over the Hellmouth seal with his life force dripping out of his body. “Even the demon magnet himself almost bled on the soddin’ thing.”

“Demon magnet?” Angel asked in confusion.

“Xander,” Buffy said. “Except for Cordelia, all his dates have been demons.”

Angel rubbed the back of his neck. “About that.”

“Yes?”

“The visions were killing her. She willingly became a half demon to help with the pain.”

Spike and Buffy looked at each other, and they burst out laughing. They both spluttered to a stop when Faith and Andrew reappeared laden with weapons.

“How the hell did nerd boy here get so strong?” Faith complained.

“Magic,” Buffy said. She turned to Maeve. “If the Ubers get past us, can you and yours stop them?”

Maeve nodded. “Yes, Slayer.” She quickly picked a few women out of the crowd of specters, including the Mother Guardian who she partnered with herself. Maeve paired the women up, and she sent them to the most strategic spots. Then, the others followed Buffy and her warriors down into the basement.

As they stood over the seal covering the Hellmouth, Faith drawled, “Well, guess as the Slayer, it’s my job to get this started.” She took a knife out of her back pocket. Flipping the weapon open, she cut her hand, and she let it bleed onto the seal.

Andrew took the knife from Faith. He followed her lead before handing the blade onto Spike who passed it onto Angel. Soon, the seal shuddered and quaked. It slowly opened revealing the gaping mouth of Hell.

“Well, that was easier on us then it was on those Vahrall demons.” Spike looked around. “Wonder if they’re still hangin’ around down here.”

“Probably,” Buffy said with a small laugh.

“Hmmm,” Spike muttered. He glanced down at the amulet around his neck. “Not to be a buzz kill, luv, but my fabulous accessory isn’t exactly tinglin’ with power.”

Angel looked worried. “I’m not worried,” he said despite his facial expression.

“I’m getting zero juice here, and I look like Elizabeth Taylor.”

“Nah, Billy Idol, only prettier,” Buffy replied.

Spike snorted. “I’m handsome and manly, not pretty.”

“Whatever.” Buffy crept up the edge of the cliff. She peeked over where she saw thousands – maybe tens of thousands – of the Turok-Hans swarming around on the Hellmouth floor.

“Oh boy, this is not good. What the hell do we do when they see us?” Andrew whispered.

“Fight, stay alive, and protect Liz here until his doohickey does something,” Faith replied. She hefted her sword. She glanced at Andrew, and she let out a small whistle when she saw the scythe. “Nice weapon there, kiddo. Don’t hurt yourself with that.”

A roar filled the Hellmouth, and the Turok-Hans surged towards Buffy and her friends.

“We have to stop them,” Buffy replied. “If they get past us, the world will never be the same.”

The fight started quickly when the first wave of Ubervamps swarmed over the lip of the cliff that the gang was standing on. Angel and Andrew teamed up to fight, and they worked surprisingly good together despite the difference in height. Faith used her sword to hack at the incoming horde. Spike stood back, taking on any that slipped past the others. The ghost ladies ignored the first wave, and they swooped down the cliff to take on the second wave.

Spike beheaded a Turok-Han. Then, he felt something odd in his chest. He glanced down at the amulet. “Buffy! Whatever this thing does, I think it’s…” he trailed off with a wince when the pain intensified.  
Faith turned to Angel and Andrew. “Drive them back over the edge. Fuck!” She looked down to find the end of a sword poking out of her stomach. “Fuck, I hate when that happens.” She stumbled to her knees, and she slumped forward to the ground.

Angel let out a roar as he killed the Ubervamp that had managed to hurt Faith. Then, he was to her side in a flash. He pulled the fallen Slayer into his arms. “Don’t you dare die, Faith! We need you.”

“It’s five by five, soul boy.” Faith’s breath spluttered and came to an abrupt halt.

Yasmine fell to her knees by Angel’s side. “Protect me. I’ll see if I can heal her.”

Angel laid Faith down on the dirt. “Faith’s dead. Another Slayer has been called.” Then, he rose to his feet to return to the fight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Rona let out a strangled groan that made her seatmate Vi give her an odd look. Rona’s smallest injuries started to heal themselves before Vi’s very eyes. “Giles, you need to come see this,” she called out.

Giles rose to his feet, and he hurried to Vi’s side. “Yes?”

“I think Faith might be dead,” Vi said. “Rona’s injuries are healing themselves really fast.” 

“What?” Kennedy screeched. “That’s just not right. I’m the best trained Potential on this bus. I was supposed to be the next one called.”

“Ego much,” Dawn muttered. She sidled up to Giles. “We need to ditch that one as soon as possible. Send her back to Daddy or something.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Buffy stumbled to Yasmine’s side. She placed her ghostly hands over the Guardian’s which were pressed against the wound in Faith’s abdomen. A pale, glowing light emanated from the women’s hands, and Faith took a raspy breath of air.

“Dyin’ sucks ass,” the dark-haired muttered.

“You’ll get used to it,” Buffy said. She glanced up at Spike who had staggered back against the wall beside the steps that led up out of the Hellmouth.

“Not planning on doing it as many times as you have, B.” Faith struggled to her feet.

“Oh no!” First Faith appeared next to the Slayers and Yasmine. It was dressed in the same tight leather pants and tank that the real Faith wore. In the same place that the real Faith was wounded, a wound appeared on First Faith. “Ow. This mortal would is all itchy. You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?”

Buffy growled. “I want you to get out of our face.”

“Hey, Faith, try this for a change.” Andrew tossed Faith the Slayer weapon, and she caught it with a feral grin.

“Shiny.” Faith swung the scythe which knocked three Ubervamps back down over the cliff into the swirling mass of ghostly Guardians and the back lines of Turok-Hans.

“Oh bollocks,” Spike grunted. Out of the amulet hanging around his neck, a burst of bright light shot up into the air where it knocked a hole in the ceiling. It disappeared into the building above. Suddenly the light turned orange. “Buffy.”

“Spike?”

The orange light started to shoot out of the amulet in bright rays that reminded Buffy of sunlight. Behind her, Buffy heard the Ubervamps dusting when the shafts of powerful light hit them. The ground shook violently, and Buffy made her way to Spike’s side.

“Everyone out. Now!” Angel yelled. He could see the walls of the pit starting to crumble. He picked up Yasmine, and he started towards the seal’s entrance. He knew Andrew was on his tail. “Faith! Let’s go.”

“I can feel it,” Spike said in an astonished voice.

“What?”

“My soul. It’s really there.” Spike smiled at Buffy. Soon, they would be together again. He had no idea if he’d be in Heaven with her, but at least he wouldn’t be on the Earth without her. “Kind of stings.

“Faith!” Angel cried out again.

“But…”

Buffy turned to her sister Slayer with tear filled eyes. “Go on, Faith. Get out. It’s up to Spike and me.”

“You’ve done enough. He can still get out.” Faith looked like she was going to pull Spike towards the stairs.

Spike shook his head. “No, Rogue. I’m ready. I’m gonna join m’girl here. I won’t live without her again.”

Faith shook her head. Instead of continuing to argue, she raced up the stairs.

“Silly vamp.” Buffy leaned into Spike’s body, and she put her arms around his body. “I love you.”

“No, you don’t, but thanks for saying it.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Soon, we’ll have a very long time for me to convince you otherwise.”

Spike put his arms around Buffy. He was amazed that it actually felt like she was pressed against him and that he could hold her in his arms. The light coming out of the amulet intensified, and Spike burst out laughing. He was going to dust in the arms of the woman he loved above all else. His skin singed, burning away to expose his muscles and bones. The last thing he saw before he dusted was a bright flash of light from the amulet.

Then, the Hellmouth crumbled away taking the town of Sunnydale with it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Angel and Andrew dashed towards the front entrance of the school. Once they burst through the doors, Angel put Yasmine on her feet while Andrew opened the car door for the vampire. Angel leapt into the car, and he scooted behind the wheel. He was thankful for the tempered glass that had already been installed in the Wolfram and Hart vehicle. Being CEO was the greatest. Angel started the car.

Andrew slid into the passenger seat beside Angel. He was careful not to let the sunlight get to the vampire. He looked back at the school doors. “I hope they hurry up.”

Yasmine sat in the back seat. She let out a startled cry when Maeve appeared beside her. “Maeve, thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome, Lady Yasmine,” Maeve said. She nodded her head. “It was an honor to fight by your side. The Mouth is collapsing. You need to go like the wind before you are caught in the collapse.” Then she faded out of sight.

Just then, Faith burst out of the school. She ran to Angel’s car, and she dove in through the door Yasmine opened for her. “Drive, Angel.”

Angel put the car in drive, and he floored it. He was glad that the streets were deserted. In the rearview mirror he could see Faith looking out the back window. “Where’s Spike?”

“He stayed behind,” Faith said. “Buffy too. You better go faster. The sinkhole is catching up with us.”

Angel pressed down on the accelerator. He could feel the rumbling of dissolving earth behind the car. The car’s speed increased, and in a few minutes they shot past the ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’ sign.

“I think we’re clear,” Faith shouted.

Angel skidded to a halt. He turned the vehicle around so he could get a good look at the destruction that they’d caused. He couldn’t get out of the car to get a closer look though, but the others stumbled out to look at the destruction more closely.

While Faith, Andrew, and Yasmine took the time to edge towards the brim of the crater, Angel took out his cell phone. With one punch of a key, he was connected with Wesley. “Hey, Wesley. The Hellmouth is closed, and Sunnydale is gone.”

“Are there any casualties?” Wesley asked with a concerned voice. 

“Yes, there were.” Angel looked at the crater with sadness. Buffy and Spike were gone. He could feel a gaping hole where their presence in the world used to fill. As much as he hated his Grandchilde, he was proud of Spike in ways that Angelus never could be. “Buffy’s gone. She was the one I had you do the ritual for. They kicked her out of her own home, Wes.” In a few quick words he explained what had happened to the Senior Slayer at the hands of her friends and sister. “Spike’s gone too.”

“Spike?” Wesley sounded puzzled. “You mean William the Bloody?”

Angel nodded. “One in the same.” He chuckled under his breath. “Love’s bitch. He got that one right.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Wes.” Angel sighed. “I don’t want to see Giles and the others right now. I might rip their heads off for what they pulled with Buffy. Tell them Andrew and I made it out of Sunnydale unscathed.” The last sentence was filled with contempt. He knew he played with everyone lives in the hopes of protecting those he cared about, but he wasn’t at all happy with Buffy’s friends and sister.

“If you’re sure,” Wesley said in an unsure voice. “I’ll let them know. Anything else I need to know?”

Angel looked out at Faith who was doing a victory dance around Andrew and Yasmine. “They might have a new Slayer with them. Faith died for a few moments. You don’t need to let them know she’s alive either.”

“If that’s what she wants.”

“I’m sure it is,” Angel replied. “See you in a few hours.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“What was that?” Willow turned to look out the back window of the bus. Where Sunnydale once stood a dust cloud billowed up into the air.

“It’s gone,” Xander whispered.

“What’s gone?” Giles asked from where he was observing Rona’s transformation.

“Sunnydale.”

“What?” Giles was on his feet, and he joined Willow and Xander at the window.

“Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business,” Xander quipped.

“There’s another one in Cleveland,” Giles said absentmindedly.

Xander shook his head. “They saved the world. Two vampires and a nerd.”

“And Faith.” Wood stopped the bus. He joined Giles at the window where they watched the dust cloud settle back down into the crater.

“It’s so unfair,” Kennedy muttered. “I’m the one that deserves to be the Slayer. I’ve worked the hardest and the longest.” She was quite put out that the Fates had made Rona the next Slayer.

“That’s what you think, bitch. Before he was killed, I’d been with my Watcher since I was two.”

“And you are?” Kennedy sneered. She turned to find a very forgettable looking girl sitting a few seats away. There was nothing about this S.I.T. that stood out and made her noticeable in a crowd.

“Dominique, and I’m the non-Slayer Potential that’s gonna kick your ass.”

“Any time, any place,” Kennedy scoffed. “We’ll see who kicks whose ass.”

“How about now?” Dominique stood up. “Open up those doors, Principal. I need to show the rich bitch who’s the boss.”

Wood hesitated for a moment, but a glare from the two Potentials changed his mind. He didn’t want to get in the middle of a cat fight. He opened the doors with great reluctance. Wood glanced back to see if Giles had caught the exchange, but the Watcher was busy talking to Willow and Xander.

The Potentials that were able to move all swarmed to the windows on the side of the bus where Dominique and Kennedy were facing off.

“So Cleveland?” Willow asked. “What about the Council and the girls?”

“I’ll look up a few of the older Council members that were retired or otherwise occupied.” Giles pulled off his glasses for a good polish. “Wesley’s father survived the blast. He retired to his estate a few years back.”

Willow snapped her fingers. “That reminds me. I should call Wesley.” She pulled out a trac phone. She quickly dialed in Wesley’s number. “Hey, Wesley. It’s Willow.”

“I see you survived,” Wesley said with a chilled voice. “Angel and Andrew did too, by the way.”

“Faith’s dead,” Willow blurted out. “Rona’s the new Slayer.”

“I see. Anything else?”

“Uh, are you mad at me for some reason, Wesley?” Willow asked in soft voice. There was no way he could know what had happened to Buffy, was there?

“Angel doesn’t want to see you right now. Any of you. I suggest you not stop here in Los Angeles.”

“Okay.” Willow gave Giles and Xander a worried look. “If that’s what you think is best. We’re going to go to Cleveland anyway. Giles says there’s a Hellmouth there.”

“That might be for the best.”

“Can I call back in a few days with our progress?”

“If you must.” Wesley rolled his eyes. 

“All right. Well… bye?” Willow’s voice was filled with uncertainty. She heard a click on the other end of the phone. Wesley had hung up with saying good-bye. She gave Giles and Xander a sheepish look. “Guess Angel knows about what happened to Buffy. He’s kinda mad at us.”

Wood sauntered up to the trio of ex-Scoobies. “Your girlfriend is getting her ass whooped out there. You might want to go save her.”

Anya looked away from the window. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a while. Don’t break it up yet. Just wish I had some popcorn.”

“Ahn,” Xander protested. He moved to her side where he could look out the window too. He had to suppress a laugh. “Kennedy’s getting the snot beat out of her.” She may be Willow’s girlfriend, but he really didn’t like Kennedy. 

Willow and Giles joined Xander. Outside Kennedy lay on the ground bleeding from her nose and mouth. Bruises were starting to form around her eyes and cheeks. Her opponent stood above her with a cool, calm look on her face.

“Should we break it up?” Xander asked.

“Looks like it’s over,” Giles commented. “Which Potential is that one?”

“Dominique,” Vi spoke up. “She’s quite impressive.”

As cool as a cucumber, Dominique turned and mounted the stairs into the bus. “That’s what you do to rich bitches who think they’re all that and a side of bacon too.”

The Potentials burst out laughing. They huddled around Dominique, congratulating her on her victory over Kennedy.

Kennedy hobbled onto the bus. “Wait till my father hears about this,” she muttered.

Dominique glared at Kennedy. “I don’t care who your father is, bitch. He doesn’t scare me. My parents are dead, killed by vamps when I was little. My Watcher is dead, killed by Bringers. I have no home, no possessions, and no friends. Nothing. Other than my life, there’s nothing he can take away from me.”

“That can be arranged,” Kennedy muttered under her breath. She went to her seat where she plopped down, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at Willow before she turned her gaze out the window.

“I say we get this show on the road,” Rona announced. She looked at Giles. “What’s our first stop, Oh fearless leader?”

“The next hospital by the looks of it.” Giles gestured towards the driver’s seat. “If you would, Principal Wood.”

“You know, having your school disappear into a sink hole isn’t exactly good lookin’ on the resume,” Wood said. He went to the front of the bus to take his seat. 

“We’ll think of something. It isn’t like they can blame you for it.” Giles returned to his seat also. “Let’s get out of here, girls. Time to go home.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

NINETEEN DAYS LATER, ANGEL’S OFFICE AT WOLFRAM & HART

Angel picked up an envelope on his desk. He weighed it in his hand before he started to rip it open. “Meanwhile we do the work … our way, or one thing at a time. We will deal with whatever comes next.” He tipped the envelope.

An amulet tumbled to the floor. A black whirlwind filled with golden flakes and tiny flashes of light swirled up out of the piece of jewelry. The papers on Angel’s desk started to flutter when the whirlwind turned an ashen color, and something started to form out of the dust. A skeleton appeared first, slowly filling out until it became a human being. The wind faded, and before the amazed members of A.I. stood two blond figures entwined around each other. 

It was Spike and Buffy.

“Aah!” Spike groaned. He pulled Buffy closer in pain. 

“Spike?” Wesley said softly.

“Buffy?” Angel stared in astonishment.

“Spike!” Andrew cried. “Buffy.” He rushed towards the still hugging pair, ready to embrace them. 

Spike braced for impact when he saw the incoming nerd. However, when Andrew got to them, he passed right through both Spike and Buffy. Everyone in the room cringed when Andrew slammed into Angel’s desk.

“Ouch!” Andrew screeched.

“Bugger.” Spike frowned.

Buffy pulled away from Spike, and she looked around. “Heaven didn’t look like this last time.”

The End


End file.
